The Wisconsin Historical Society and surrounding UW-Madison campus libraries provide access to over 15,000 publications about World War I. The Society's archives preserves more than 400 unique primary source collections documenting the human catastrophe. These resources tell the stories of service members at the front, as well as those on the Wisconsin homefront.

Although the Wisconsin Historical Society has many war-related collections, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum is an important resource for documenting the experiences of servicemembers.

Coming in NOVEMBER 2017!

Examine Wisconsin's response to World War I one hundred years ago in "The Great War Comes to Wisconsin: Sacrifice, Patriotism, and Free Speech in a Time of Crisis." Often called "The War to End All Wars" or "The Great War," World War I was the first "total war" of the twentieth century, a war so large that it engaged virtually the entire world. This book captures the American homefront experience through a Wisconsin lens: the political debates over war policy, the worry over loved ones fighting overseas, the countless everyday sacrifices, and the impact of a wartime hysteria that drove dissent underground. The book also includes letters and accounts from soldiers fighting the war from Wisconsin's famed 32nd Division.

How the World War I Collections Are Organized

Online

To commemorate the centennial of U.S. entry into the war, the Society is selectively digitizing a range of documents, photographs, posters, and other materials about the war.

Physical

The Library has an extensive collection of published materials on World War I, which include general histories, regimental histories, and works on finance, women’s roles in the war, major campaigns, food supply issues, liberty bonds, propaganda, veterans affairs, aerial operations, religious aspects of the war, and much more. See the Library Catalog to search for these resources.

Unpublished manuscripts and Wisconsin government archives are available in the Society’s Archives. These collections cover such topics as regimental histories, personal accounts, women’s roles in the war, public opinion, veterans affairs, and much more. Search the Library Catalog for names, topics, battles, and more.

Original images and maps are only available in the Archives and do not circulate, but many materials are being digitized and made available remotely.

Checking Out Materials

Most of the published materials in this collection can be found in the Society's Library. Check availability in the Library Catalog. Although unpublished materials in the Archives do not circulate, they can be viewed in Madison or sent to any of our 13 Area Research Centers around the state.

Rights and Permissions

Any online document may be printed or downloaded at no cost for nonprofit educational use by teachers and students, or for private use by individual researchers. Nothing may be reproduced in any format for commercial purposes without prior permission from the Wisconsin Historical Society.